Common Name: Sarawak Bean

General Information

Vigna hosei is a prostrate, perennial plant producing stems 1 - 2 metres long that scramble over the ground or twine into any surrounding vegetation. The plant often forms new roots at the leaf nodes[].
The plant is an excellent ground cover and green manure crop, often cultivated in southeast Asia and also in other parts of the tropics.
There is currently insufficient information available to evaluate Vigna hosei. The plant is classified as 'Data Deficient' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2016)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

?Southeastern Africa.

Habitat

Not known as a wild plant. Naturalized in southern china, where it grows in grass at roadsides, wastelands; at elevations below 500 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Data Deficient
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Cultivated

Cultivation Details

A plant of the wet tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,100 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 30°c, but can tolerate 15 - 35°c[]. It does not tolerate frosts. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 3,000 - 3,500mm, but tolerates 2,500 - 4,000mm[].
Succeeds in full sun and in light shade[]. Succeeds in sandy to clayey soils and is tolerant of occasional waterlogging[]. Prefers a pH in the range 4.5 - 5, tolerating 4 - 5.5[]. The plant has a shallow root system and a low tolerance of drought[].
Flowering commences about 6 months after planting, self-pollination is the rule[].
An outstanding characteristic of the plant is its persistence under shade, but full sunlight is required for good seed production[].
Seed production is often poor and only about 50 kilos per hectare can be harvested. Harvesting the seed on a field scale is also difficult[]. Besides producing normal aerial flowers and pods, the plant also produces flowers and pods which are hidden under the litter of leaves covering the soil[].
A ground cover of Vigna hosei can be removed easily by hoeing the soil, followed by a clean weeding[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby. Although non-specific in its Rhizobium requirement, inoculation is preferably carried out with a selected cowpea strain such as CB 756[, ].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is used as a green manure and ground cover crop in young tree plantations, and also in rubber, tea and coconut plantations. Seedling growth is vigorous and young plants quickly suppress weed growth, forming a thick mat of growth with a dense leaf litter, which protects the soil from erosion and prevents the ingress of weeds. Its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen enriches the soil and promotes the growth of the trees[, ]. Due to its persistence under shade, the plant can enrich a mixture of leguminous covers for young plantation trees. Being a low-growing creeper, it hardly climbs trees, which is considered important for a good cover crop[].
The plant is also being trialled as a green manure in association with annual crops[].
When sown as a cover crop it may be mixed with other leguminous covers such as Calopogonium mucunoides, Centrosema pubescens and Pueraria phaseoloides[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing.
Prior to sowing, the seeds may be inoculated with compost containing an appropriate Rhizobium strain[]
Cuttings - it is recommended to plant during the rainy season and to use 20cm long, 3-noded cuttings planted 100 - 150cm apart[].

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Captcha: if i have 3 bananas, and i eat them all, how many bananas did i just eat?